Fed: Gallop s support for AWAs a blow to Beazley, says Reith

AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-2000
Fed: Gallop s support for AWAs a blow to Beazley, says Reith

CANBERRA, Aug 1 AAP - Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith today claimed Labor's
policy to abolish individual contracts had been scuttled by Western Australian Labor leader
Geoff Gallop's endorsement of them.

Dr Gallop was reported in The West Australian newspaper today as calling for his state
to be exempt from the policy.

He said he wanted to retain flexibility in the state's industrial relations system
by providing a choice between collective bargaining and individual agreements with a no-disadvantage
test attached.

Mr Reith said Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, in Labor's platform to be endorsed today
at the ALP national conference, promised to abolish individual contracts, known as Australian
Workplace Agreements (AWAs), and the flexibility they offered.

"The West Australian report says that Mr Gallop will endorse Mr Beazley's industrial
relations platform today but only in the interests of party unity," Mr Reith said in a
statement.

"In other words, the union domination of the convention numbers and ALP concern over
revealing Mr Beazley's weakness as a leader will guarantee that Mr Gallop makes no trouble.

"This is the debate ALP insiders desperately want to avoid at this convention - allowing
Beazley to drop the policy retreat in May, even before he released his draft platform
last month.

"The abolition of individual contracts from the system is a fundamental issue going
to the heart of the rollover by Mr Beazley on workplace relations."

Mr Reith said 254,000 individual agreements had been signed in Western Australia, which
has its own version of AWAs.

AAP dep/mfh/bdm/br

KEYWORD: ALP REITH (CARRIED EARLIER)

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